The Kansas City Chiefs secured a 27-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday to advance to the AFC Championship game, but there is growing concern over the fitness of their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes sustained an ankle injury in the first quarter when he was brought down by Jaguars’ Arden Key and Corey Peters, causing his ankle to twist awkwardly under Key as they fell.
Mahomes was visibly in pain, immediately reaching for his right ankle. Despite limping to the sidelines, he returned to the field, clearly uncomfortable. “Obviously, I have a lot of adrenaline going right now, so we’ll see how it feels,” Mahomes said post-game.
He plans to start treatment immediately to be as close to 100% as possible for next week’s game, taking advantage of the extra recovery time from playing the early game on Saturday.
Mahomes remained in the game for the rest of the first quarter but had his ankle taped up and eventually headed to the locker room for evaluation in the second quarter after a heated discussion with head coach Andy Reid. Chad Henne stepped in as quarterback and led the Chiefs to a touchdown, giving them a 17-7 lead.
Despite being listed as questionable to return, Mahomes came back in the second half, finishing the game with 195 passing yards and two touchdowns.
He expressed frustration at having to leave the game, explaining his argument with Reid: “I didn’t want to go get the X-Rays or whatever it was. I just wanted to continue to play… but the coach, in the best interest of me, made me go back there and get that X-Ray before coming back into the game.”
The Chiefs have now reached the AFC Championship game for the fifth consecutive year, but Mahomes’ ability to play on January 29 remains uncertain.
The Chiefs will face either the Cincinnati Bengals or the Buffalo Bills, who play later on Sunday. Reid acknowledged Mahomes’ competitiveness but stressed the importance of his physical readiness: “However, you got to make sure he’s okay, physically okay, where he can protect himself and if he can’t then he can’t play.”
In other playoff action, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the New York Giants 38-7, advancing to their eighth NFC Championship game in franchise history and the first since 2018. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown.
Eagles running backs Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell combined for 202 rushing yards. The Eagles will face either the Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers on January 29 for a place in the Super Bowl final on February 12.